


Unlimited Inferno Works

by Unofficialshippingtrash



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boy I sure do love making my babies suffer, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Mild Language, Survivor Guilt, but oh well, not fully nasuverse compliant, this took forever to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21576280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unofficialshippingtrash/pseuds/Unofficialshippingtrash
Summary: Two boys walk into hell, and two corpses stumble out of it.
Kudos: 27





	Unlimited Inferno Works

Dimitri didn't think too much of him at first.

The man; Emiya was his name, certainly cut an imposing figure with his startling height, bright red coat and silver hair. Yet he seemed content to keep to himself. The man claimed to be a simple mercenary hired by the church, so Dimitri speculated at first that he shunned social interaction by virtue of his lifestyle being ill suited for forming connections when yesterday's friends could be tomorrow's enemies.

That all changed when the class was dispatched to suppress the rebellion caused by Lord Lonato.

It was so simple at first. The fog certainly made things difficult, but it was clearly magical in nature. Kill the caster and their cover should be lifted.

Only to be told that Lonato had suddenly requested to open negotiations. Why so suddenly?

Dimitri soon found his answer. And he wished he hadn't.

Because opposite of Lonato and most of his forces, there stood Emiya with Ashe firmly held against his blade.

_Now it all made sense._

The bastard took Lonato's child, one of his own allies no less, as a hostage!

"I'll keep it simple. Throw down your weapons, and get your rebels to do the same. Unless of course, you don't mind letting this child getting his throat slit."

Lonato already looked fairly intimidating with his aged face that had doubtlessly seen numerous tragedies in his long years. But with his son's life on the line, he looked as though not even Sothis herself could stop his rage.

_A sentiment I know all too well_

"Craven! You resort to such cowardly tactics?! Against your so called allies no less?! Have you no honour?!"

Emiya scoffed. "Honour doesn't win battles or get results. It's just something the dying cling to when they realise their luck just ran out. I'm here to win battles, not accolades and praise."

"Emiya, what are you doing?!" Dimitri objected. "Did Ashe agree to this plan of yours? Or did you exploit his feelings-"

"My arm's getting tired old man. Do we have an agreement or a slaughter?"

Ashe for the most part remained unresponsive. With the blade so close to his neck, he looked as though he was trying his hardest to avoid breathing too much, lest the sword end his life.

Lonato closed his eyes in contemplation for a moment before tightening his jaw.

"I'm sorry Ashe. But what I am doing here is far beyond what you understand," The old man exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry Christophe. I've had to bury my children twice over. What a wonderful father I am…" Lonato bitterly said as he prepared to give his men the order to charge again.

"Fine then. Slaughter it is."

Emiya relinquished his hold on Ashe before tossing the blade in his hand into the crowd, where it promptly shattered with a very noticeable widened his eyes in surprise, and Dimitri knew why. Anyone with a rudimentary grasp of battle tactics could grasp it.

It was a signal.

And on that signal, a volley of arrows emerged from the fog and decimated the enemy force. No matter how the enemy tried to defend, there was no way to cover their flanks. They had expected talks, not an ambush.

True to Emiya's words, there was not a battle. Merely a massacre as every last soldier that elected to accompany Lonato to his unfortunate fate was killed.

As the fog lifted (the caster must've been struck down in the attack) Dimitri frantically shifted his gaze to see any hope for Lonato's forces.

And yet, there was nary a soul to be seen that was not either dead, dying, being chased down or begging for their lives.

Dimitri held brief hope for one individual who was too far away to be harmed by anyone and had begun making her retreat…

...only for Emiya to effortlessly place an arrow in the back of her head.

That was the final straw.

"Mission complete. Tell Catherine the enemy commander is down." Emiya nonchalantly informed a nearby scout.

"That's it?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't you be heading back with the rest of your class now? Your work here is done. Just need to round up the stragglers."

Dimitri clenched his fists so hard, the fabric of his gloves began to audibly tear.

"That's all you have to say? After that atrocity you were responsible for?" Dimitri did not waste energy in raising his voice. Scum like him were not worth his full fury.

The neutrality on Emiya's face vanished in an instant, replaced with a scowl.

"Great. Don't tell me you're one of those people that wants to try and save everyone no matter what?"

" _How can you call that saving people?!_ All you did was murder hundreds of good people for _nothing!"_

"And yet the battle is over this quickly. We've won. They were fanatically dedicated to their cause. They wouldn't surrender no matter how bad things got."

Dimitri couldn't believe him. How could he view human life so… so callously?!

"How can you say that for certain? Did you know each and every single one enough to understand?"

Emiya sighed in irritation.

"I'm not in the mood for this. I'm heading back to the monastery. You can lecture me later."

And with that, the silver haired man took off at a rapid pace, leaving the blonde haired youth alone to stew in his hatred.

_He's just like them. No better than the beasts at Duscur._

With a smouldering fire in his eyes, Dimitri left to find the rest of his class.

* * *

Their next encounter was one July at the training grounds.

Sparring against instructors on occasion was nothing unusual. But this was the first one Dimitri had against Emiya since the Lonato rebellion.

When Dimitri volunteered to go first, no one thought anything of it, though it was somewhat unusual that he would be the first one to fight, before even Felix. The aforementioned boy merely gave the prince a cold look as he stepped up to the challenge. He knew what Dimitri was up to. That look was impossible to forget.

The same look the boar had when slaughtering for pleasure.

Of course, Emiya thought nothing of it at first. But as Dimitri assumed his stance, he noticed the unevenness in his form, the overly tight grip and tense shoulders.

Dimitri wasn't preparing for a friendly spar or casual bout. He was preparing to kill someone. And it didn't take a genius to work out who the target of his animosity was.

As Dimitri charged forward to recklessly slam the wooden spear into Emiya's heart, he left himself wide open to having his heavily telegraphed attack be interrupted with a quick jab from one of Emiya's reinforced wooden blades.

Incredibly, Dimitri got back up quickly from being winded and resumed his assault again. This time he attempted a feint, faking a wide swing from his right, before transitioning into a stab.

Of course, with his Mind's Eye, Emiya saw it coming and dropped into a roll. A very impressive display nonetheless. Were it not for the countless millennia of experience he had, it would be difficult to see that move coming from a berserker stance.

Not content to be idle, he swept Dimitri's feet while still on the ground. Only to be stunned once more as he used the staff as leverage to spring back up and rapidly follow up with another thrust.

With no time to dodge, Emiya threw everything he had into defence and covered his heart from the stab. Of course, wooden swords made for poor defence and while the reinforcement took most of the blow, the force still blew him away and onto the floor.

But to his shock, the prince of Faerghus wasn't content with merely knocking him down and demanding he yield. As Emiya stumbled back up, Dimitri leapt towards him. Even with a wooden spear, the wound from a blow could shatter bone, rupture organs. The result was crippling, even fatal.

_No other choice then._

Emiya moved his hands on instinct to survive.

And placed a hastily projection of Rho Aias in the way between his opponent.

The small petal shattered upon contact with the wooden implement. A hasty projection of such power without his usual aria was weak and very mana inefficient, but it was fine for deflecting attacks from ordinary humans.

And it was enough to get Byleth to step in and break up their fight once it became apparent this casual spar had become something far more serious.

From that moment forward, Emiya kept his distance.

He didn't need another monster hounding after him. He was haunted enough already.

And so, life carried on.

Or at least it did until that fateful day.

* * *

March, Imperial Year 1181. Beginning from that day forward, Edelgard Von Hresvelg started her campaign against the Church of Seiros and threw Fódlan into chaos.

Emiya made his move quickly. He had to know which side held the upper hand, lest he make another idiotic and ill informed decision, and sticking with the church wasn't an option. Not when he'd seen Rhea fuming- no that was too weak. Psychotic was a better description. And it didn't take a tactical genius to figure out that zealots weren't the best tacticians.

Plus, you generally don't declare war without being prepared and having a damn fine plan. And that Edelgard and her retainer Hubert didn't seem like the type to rush in without a plan.

The odds were apparent. Time to switch sides.

And that was how Emiya ended up coming across an Imperial war camp, and swore his fealty to the empress. Thankfully, there was no fancy ceremony or ridiculous speech. He was going to be under close watch, and needed to prove he was somewhat trustworthy before he was asked to handle anything sensitive or important, but he was accepted all the same.

As accepted as a traitor could be anyway.

And so he was one of many troops that spearheaded the assault on Garreg Mach as a test of sorts. He was kept away from the most intense action, confined to sniping duty to ensure that potential damage he could cause to the empire was minimal.

It was all too familiar to Emiya. The same memories came back. Another war, more faceless goons to put down. He effortlessly pulled his bowstring to end lives to preserve the greater good.

_What a joke._

As he moved from rooftop to rooftop in the ruined monastery grounds, taking aim at key targets when needed, he couldn't stop scowling every time another person died because of him. No matter where he went, it was always the same. There was no saving everyone.

All he could do was play a numbers game and try to save as many as possible.

And yet no matter how many times he told himself that, it never got easier. Especially as he recognised several faces among those he was slaughtering. Even worse when he had to get in close.

"Emiya, please! Dammit, I don't wanna-"

_Shlink._

"No, please-!"

_Shlink._

"It hurts… it hurts so much… someone help-"

_Shlink._

"Oh god, where's my arm?! It was here and now, now it's just- Oh fuck no! No-"

_Shlink._

"Just how many damn people have you killed?!"

For once, Emiya snapped back to reality before bringing his sword down.

The female student glared at him from across the battlefield, riding atop a horse dressed in some poor storybook image of a knight in shining armour.

_What a joke. Someone had clearly been fantasising more than training._

Emiya humored her and took the bait.

"I've lived a long time. Eventually, keeping count of your kills becomes impossible."

"Don't give me that crap!" The girl charged forward, clearly counting on her mount to provide her the advantage by reducing his avenues of retreat.

Emiya was no stranger to confident cavaliers making dangerous assumptions, but as he prepared to quickly fire an arrow to the animal's leg to disable it for an easy kill on the rider, he was surprised to see her spear thrown straight at him.

Taken off guard by her brazen assault, Emiya had to rapidly sidestep out of the path of the projectile, and leap over the charging beast as the rider predicted his evade.

Without missing a beat, he projected another arrow and fired back as the cavalier tried to turn around from her failed assault. But it was to no avail, the arrow struck her in the spine as her legs gave out and she fell from her mount.

Now crippled with no chance of survival, all the girl had left was defiance as she hurled pitifully small stones near her position at Emiya while screaming in fury. Eventually, her fire quickly burnt out once she soon realised that there was no escaping her fate.

"Captain Jeralt… I'm sorry. Looks like I'll be seeing you before long."

"You looked up to the former captain?" Emiya paused, wondering if this child was exactly the fool he had figured her out to be.

"He's a damn better example of a hero than some bastard with no sense of loyalty," The girl spat back at him. "I dunno what crap the empress put in your head about how your cause is righteous or whatever, but you aren't helping anyone like this!"

Emiya's expression darkened considerably.

"Heroes don't exist. They're just fantasies created by parents to ease the bored minds of children. I've lived far longer than you and pursued the pointless dream. Believe me; there is nothing at the end of saving people."

"And you gave up? Just like that? You haven't been to the end of your life yet! How can you conclude your dream was a lie so prematurely?!"

Emiya tightened the grip on Kanshou so tightly, the tool began to crack.

The girl continued on, ignorant perhaps of his growing ire.

"Being a hero isn't about being some robot obsessed with preserving life! It's all about making people smile! There's a human element that-"

"SHUT UP!" Emiya couldn't stand it anymore. Why was this girl so damn _perfect_ at hitting his weak spots?!

"If you love heroes so damn much, you can tell your idol all the insignificant deeds you did _while you were alive!"_

_Shlink._

* * *

Where was she?!

" _Dimitri, hurry up! Our goal is so close!"_

" _She must die!"_

" _You are the only one who can help us!"_

"I know! Don't worry, I will kill her!"

Lambert grunted in the background. " _I hope so. Edelgard is a monster. She and all others like her must perish."_

Like her? Then what about…

Yes, over there!

The blood coloured monster Emiya.

" _Dimitri, it's him! One of the bastards that killed us!"_

Yes.

It was him, he was responsible, he had to diedieidiediedie-!

Dimitri lunged forward as he killed another innocent.

No more.

He was finished!

With a scream, Dimitri crashed his lance against his quarry. The pitiful blades shattered under his strength.

Following up on his overhead swing, Dimitri made another powerful slice aimed at his head, only to be blocked by another sword.

No matter. He would just keep attacking. His hatred was far greater than however many weapons Emiya had stocked up. For every sword he created, Dimitri would destroy it. Again.

And again.

And again.

Whenever he tried to escape, Dimitri would merely propel himself forward to catch his disengage attempt.

"There will be no running! Not from your crimes, not from your punishment, and not from your executioner!"

Dimitri could see the fear and panic begin to take hold of Emiya as he fell back towards imperial troops, likely hoping to use them as a shield.

It didn't matter. No amount of small insects would stop his judgement, no matter how loudly they buzzed. Soon, this monster would know the pain and suffering his victims felt at Duscur!

_The dead will have their revenge!_

Slowly, Emiya's face began to twist from annoyance into concern. He was slowly running out of options. The cover of the various buildings in town was dwindling and soon it would vanish entirely, leaving him nowhere to retreat to.

Though he continued to stand his ground, Emiya knew it was a doomed battle. Dimitri was more than capable of destroying his projected weapons faster than he could make them, and with how crazy he looked, stalling wasn't an option. He'd hoped to slow him down with imperial cannon fodder, but judging from their eagerness to avoid the absurdly powerful psychopath charging forwards, it looked like that plan wasn't going to work.

"Tell me why."

...Never mind. Stalling it was.

Though unsure why his opponent had stopped, Emiya took his only visible chance or survival right now; keep talking and hope someone could distract this wild animal.

"Why did I do what?"

"Do not deny the evil deeds you have caused. My friends, my family, they all perished that day in Duscur! How can you deny your role?!" The feral prince growled with sheer unfiltered malice.

"How'd you figure it out?" Emiya calmly asked, with not a trace of fear on his face. In the meantime, he began slowly stepping backwards to create as much space as possible between the two of them.

Dimitri scoffed as though he had insulted his intelligence "The acts of sheer callous murder you performed during the Lonato rebellion? Only a special kind of monster can disregard life so easily. Only someone who would murder countless innocents for some undefined goal."

He paused to point the tip of his lance towards Emiya. "Once I saw how little you cared for human life, I knew you had to be responsible in some way for the Tragedy. And now," Dimitri shifted into a combat stance. " _Now I will TAKE YOUR HEAD!"_

_Dammit, I don't need this right now!_

Left with no alternative, Emiya resumed his losing battle. With Dimitri's brute strength, a straight fight was suicide. And with how much adrenaline the beast seemingly had, nothing short of targeting a vital point or removing a limb would be enough to stop his charge. So he needed something that would force Dimitri's body into submission.

First, a distraction was needed. It took almost a full three seconds to project anything of substance. Whatever Emiya made had to be damn good.

And lucky him, he had the perfect stall tactic. The distance was approximately ten metres. Dimitri would cross that in three seconds. Just about enough time.

_I am the bone of my sword…_

One second

Emiya moved his hand forward.

Two seconds.

Dimitri prepared to plunge his lance into his heart.

Three seconds.

" _Rho Aias!"_

As the expected fatal blow was thwarted, Dimitri recovered quickly and resumed his assault.

_Thank god he's too dumb to just walk around this thing. Perks of sanity I guess._

Now for the follow up.

Emiya searched through Unlimited Blade Works at rapid speed. He knew what he was looking for after all.

The whistle of the infamous Solovey-Razboynik, said to be able to slay man or beast with a single breath. In this case, both would work fine.

It only took a few seconds for the item to materialise in his off hand. And then, he blew into the device.

The effect was instantaneous. The sound was thankfully confined thanks to the Aias absorbing most of the impact. But for Emiya's attacker right in front of him? Not so lucky.

It only stunned Dimitri for a moment. And that was all Emiya needed to go for the incapacitating blow, a perfect slash right across his right eye. Or so he hoped.

Then the skies filled with an enormous white beast, and Emiya was forced to abandon his current battle in hopes of eliminating the force of nature that had become his newest priority.

And then, silence.

* * *

Five years passed by. Dimitri for not one day forgot Emiya's face. His name, his face, his perceived deeds, nothing was left behind. The Prince of Delusion committed the faces of those he must kill to memory in his very soul. As Dimitri prowled the lands to satiate his lust for vengeance, he made sure to train himself recognise his most important targets by the most minute details. From accounts he gathered, Dimitri could tell which monster was responsible for any given massacre and used their foul deeds as a trail in the hopes he could alleviate the regrets of the dead.

And yet, his prey did not once consider him at all after Edelgard's victory at Garreg Mach. After all, how could a timeless corpse distinguish one blade from the endless field of them imprisoned in his mind? What does nine years matter to one who is denied the basic right to simply be allowed to die?

And yet, it was from an unexpected source that would change the nature of their next meeting five years later.

* * *

Dimitri hadn't thought much of cutting Edelgard's hand off during the battle at Gronder Field. Likely his psychotic behaviour meant that all he cared for was satisfying his bloodlust, so any non fatal injuries he inflicted were likely unnoticed by the rampaging beast.

It was indeed fortunate then that Byleth had noted the strange marking on it. Three strange symbols, with one being dulled out, as though some mysterious force had removed it. Perhaps it hinted towards a weapon being used by the empire? Whatever it was, it needed to be studied. Any information that could be gleaned was essential.

Early tests revealed that the markings were magical in nature. More specifically, they were apparently some sort of contract. What had been summoned? Was it a large threat? We're these seals all that were controlled some horrific beast?

Dimitri grimaced at the thought. All of Fódlan imperiled by his own appalling actions and revenge quest? It was a sobering idea to be sure.

Fortunately, Hanneman was able to glean the truth from his countless hours pouring over books one after another. And the answer was… unexpected.

_Heroic Spirit?_

Dimitri was still baffled from the report. Allegedly, it was a ritual that the empire had been conducting research on. Supposedly, a means by which one could summon legendary heroes across time and space.

The thought that Edelgard could potentially have one or more of the 10 elites was… concerning. Dimitri had read about the power they wielded, and having used the strength of Areadbhar himself, the legends were certainly accurate.

Luckily, Hanneman had hypothesised a way to divine the hero one had summoned by using the command seals. Masters and servants shared dreams of their pasts, for reasons not even he could understand. If one were to take the command seals for themselves, they could at least determine the appearance of a servant summoned.

There was no telling what one would see though. After all, what hardships a servant suffered in the past could be horrifying, and scar someone for life.

Hence why the seals were now being slowly grafted onto Dimitri's hand now. No matter what horrors lay in wait for him, it could not compare to the Tragedy of Duscur. Besides, after all the hatred Dimitri had brought forth, he should take this risk rather than anyone else. They had done far less evil than him after all.

And so that night, two men who had been killed and twisted beyond recognition in the flames of a tragedy learned of their shared past and suffering.

* * *

The atmosphere in Dimitri's room was unbearably tense.

It had been only three days since both Emiya and Dimitri had learned of each others history.

How the former was betrayed by everyone, even the very ideals he clung to more than anything, and was rewarded with an eternity of endless killing so he could clean up the messes others made.

And how the latter was left all alone when fate cruelly stripped his loved ones from him, and the memories had clung to him like a ball and chain, forcing him to carry a tremendous obligation to honour the deceased that no individual could possibly bear.

But most importantly, that neither were able to forgive themselves for living while others died in their place, and they couldn't live for themselves until it was too late. That they were both killed and reborn in the fires filled with the screams of the dying.

How do you even respond to suffering of that magnitude?

Emiya appeared to know.

"So you've seen everything." He bluntly stated. He was surprisingly calm for a man with none of his closely kept secrets left to keep.

Dimitri found the courage to speak up. "What… what has happened to you is completely inhumane!"

"Not inhumane. Just the consequences of an idiot that didn't know what the long term ramifications of his actions were."

"But you desperately wanted nothing more than to save those people! How could you be punished for such a pure desire?!" Dimitri was completely indignated. Here Emiya was, attempting to brush off everything he went through?

No. No one should suffer as he had- no, _worse_ than him.

"It wasn't my my desire!" Emiya cracked the wooden table between them. "I didn't have a desire. It was burned away in the flames. I had years; _years_ to find something to live for! But that idiot couldn't let go of his stupid dream!"

Despite the display of raw strength in front of him, the king of Faerghus (Goddess, it was still surreal to imagine) did not flinch. Helping Emiya would be difficult. He was still healing, so immediate progress was still probably too much to ask.

"...All right. You can go now."

With a hiss and a sneer, the silver haired man swiftly pivoted around and stormed out of the room, leaving Dimitri to his thoughts.

This wasn't something he could do alone. He would need help.

* * *

And with that help, Dimitri once again summoned Emiya to his room shortly after the capture of Fort Merceus.

"You mentioned that the desire to help others wasn't your own?" Dimitri needed to know more about Emiya's past.

"What does it matter?" Emiya leaned back casually. "Talking won't save me from this hell I'm trapped in."

"It matters, because you saw my past as well."

Emiya turned back to face the blonde haired man.

"In the flames of Duscur, I saw no hope. No one came to save me. I survived because I appeared so insignificant to my attackers," Dimitri clenched his fist at the memory "and with nothing left for me to cling to beyond the people I had lost, they were all that mattered to me. I dedicated myself to revenge because I saw nothing else worth living for."

He let out a gradual exhale. "But in your inferno, there was someone that changed the blank expression on your face. The man who saved you. What was it that brought you hope at that moment?"

Dimitri waited for a response for several tense seconds. Yet despite his normally confident demeanour, Emiya's next words were merely a murmur.

"...I wanted to be a hero of justice, just like the man who saved me."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. I was just a stupid kid that had lost everything. I wanted a reason to smile. And just my luck that some self proclaimed hero showed up and _looked so damn happy to see me!"_ Emiya gripped his armrests tightly enough to crack the wood.

The he abruptly stood up. "We're done here."

And before Dimitri could protest, he had vanished.

* * *

For their final session, mere days before the assault on Enbarr, Dimitri had reluctantly used his final command seal to order Emiya talk to him. While this meant he no longer had a reason to stay with the kingdom, victory looked likely for them at this point, so joining the empire would be the height of foolishness.

"Well your royal beastliness, I'm here. What pointless, inane tale will you-"

"This Kiritsugu was the man who saved you? Why don't you speak of him fondly?"

Before Emiya could recover from Dimitri's sudden change in approach, he continued his verbal onslaught.

"Is it because you believe you shouldn't be alive right now?"

Emiya's look turned furious.

" _Don't you dare try and make assumptions of me."_

Dimitri was undaunted by the very real possibility of the man in front of him slicing his throat.

"Do you think no one else would understand?"

"What's there to understand? I wanted to be like a man I only found out later turned out to be a crazed unilateralist. So I didn't think of myself even once. And because I never cared about myself, I didn't realise what selling your soul actually meant." Emiya scowled at the king.

"Because there wasn't a point in thinking about yourself. What's there to live for when everything is lost to the flames?"

For the first time, Emiya looked surprised.

"Perhaps you mistook my nightmares for your own. I don't blame you. When you find yourself trapped in hell, everything blurs into one singular inferno," Dimitri shakily recalled. "I have experienced it myself. The screaming never stops. There's nothing to smell but the heavy stench of death and smoke."

"What's your point?" Emiya bitterly responded. "We've walked into hell. Big deal. At least you'll get to die at the end. I'd settle for just memory erasure at this point. At least I wouldn't have to remember every time I killed someone in the name of some vague notion of 'justice' or whatever else I need to justify it as."

Dimitri sighed. He had to remember what everyone had told him. He couldn't thaw Emiya's heart with his own words. Dimitri needed help to escape the grasp of his demons. This man would need the same.

But just like him, Emiya wouldn't listen to just anyone. He needed someone who knew his pain.

"I don't know what else to say."

Emiya's expression further soured.

"What happened to you was cruel. I want to find some way to make you smile again, the way others helped me out the dark pit I was buried in."

"Well if you can get me out of this endless cycle of killing for eternity, let me know." Emiya ruefully stated as he rose to his feet once more.

Dimitri did not protest his departure.

After all, who could help him? Emiya's circumstances were too extraordinary.

No one but himself could possibly know how he felt.

"For what it's worth your highness?"

Dimitri snapped back to attention.

"I'm glad I didn't have to kill you."

* * *

It was still so bizarre.

From what Alaya had told him, Dimitri had been venerated as the "Saviour King" by the people even years after his death. Thus, the so called hero was able to enter the fabled Throne of Heroes.

Though he strongly felt out of place, the blonde haired spirit nonetheless began acquainting himself with many of the heroes that occupied this new reality of his. And goodness were there many legends to see that he had only heard whispers about.

Ike the Radiant Hero, Lancelot the Knight of the Lake, Seliph the Scion of Light, even the surprisingly amiable if haughty wise king of Uruk himself, Gilgamesh.

But there was one figure in particular he searched for. Dimitri had hoped to find him one day and make him smile again.

Yet, he found him already smiling and laughing with a striking blonde woman dressed in armour.

"Ah, Dimitri!"

"Shirou? You know this man?"

Emiya chuckled. "Yeah, back when I was still a stubborn asshole."

"Oh?" The woman retorted. "Such lies. You have always been such a hard headed individual."

Dimitri on the other hand couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Emiya was smiling. The man he dismissed as nothing more than a beast at first was at ease.

"It's good to see you again. May I ask about the reason why you're smiling?"

Emiya sighed.

"It's a long story, but…"

His smile returned.

"I just met someone who knew me way better than anyone else."

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this took an absolute eternity to write. 
> 
> It was so damn hard to figure out if everyone was or wasn't OOC and it drove me mad because this is a little something I've wanted to write forever because Emiya and Dimitri have an uncanny amount in common with each other.
> 
> The hardest part was figuring out the ending. I wanted to let Dimitri see Emiya smile in the end after the events of Unlimited Blade Works, but I didn't how how to get Emiya to not be a jerk without having Shioru be there. In the end, I just settled on having the two meet up in the throne of heroes because I didn't know how Dimitri could convince Emiya to not be a meanie without pulling out something from my ass. 
> 
> (Yes I know it's technically impossible for Artoria and Emiya to be in the throne because Reasons, but nasuverse lore is annoying sometimes, so I don't care because fuck it, I want a happy ending for this story and in the world of fanfic, the laws of reality are my bitch.)
> 
> Also, if you want to stalk me I have a tumblr here: https://unofficialshippingtrash.tumblr.com


End file.
